I am truly grateful to all of the fine people on the Gente forum for their encouragement, support and camaraderie. I am especially indebted to two wonderful people, Carole and Luca, whom I simply cannot praise enough for the kindness and generosity that they have extended to a complete stranger. What a world it would be indeed if all strangers received such gracious treatment!
What a pleasure it would be to meet up in Luca's BAR where we could "set us down to wet right many a nipperkin".
I leave it to you, Carole, to translate this and to give due props to Thomas Hardy!

Hi!
Reading the last letter posted by Tom, my mother unfortunately only remembers the sisters of Tano and Ignazio mentioned at the end that is Grazia and Stefania. The children that they speak of (Giuseppina. Pietrino,...) were both cousins of my grandmother (that is the mother of my mother), of whom my mother has no memory of at all.
To compensate today she went to see one of her aunts, that is the sister of my grandmother, another daughter of Tano, who remembered exactly the times when Ignazio sent a bit of money from America: in fact this aunt of my mother says that in Belmonte, for the family of Tano, it was a great holiday because that money allowed them to eat for several fays.
This same aunt of my mother says that when she was in Sicily, that is until 1950 (later she moved to Turin), she remembers perfectly a casket inside which the letters and the photographs of Ignazio were preserved.
The last thing that my aunt confirms is that when the two brothers were separated, they never saw each other again....
This is what we can tell you up to now...
Affectionate wishes to you all,
Ale and Maria

I am truly grateful to all of the fine people on the Gente forum for their encouragement, support and camaraderie. I am especially indebted to two wonderful people, Carole and Luca, whom I simply cannot praise enough for the kindness and generosity that they have extended to a complete stranger. What a world it would be indeed if all strangers received such gracious treatment!
What a pleasure it would be to meet up in Luca's BAR where we could "set us down to wet right many a nipperkin".
I leave it to you, Carole, to translate this and to give due props to Thomas Hardy!

Addio, Addio

Thank you Tom you are very kind, and yes it would be nice to met up in Luca's bar for a nipperkin of ale...
The only nipperkin I know of is a 'west country' (Devon and Cornwall) measure of ale. It is also features in the folk song called The Barley Mow... if you listen very carefully here you will here it referred to.

>"THE BARLEY MOW"<
So perhaps we could sit us down there and drink us a 'nipperkin' together...

Oh by the way - did you really mean ADDIO? That usually means a definite GOODBYE... surely you mean Arriverderci - which is a 'temporary goodbye' and means See you again!

I have some very old photos that I will upload to the gallery section later. One of the photos may be of Gaetano, but I'm not certain about that.

Great photo Tom... Finally a face to the Dragotto name!
The writing on the back says.... But there are two words which I'm afraid beat me...

Dearest brother and dearest sister in law , remember me after many years - this photo is me your sister Stefania and my son. I have three children one Pxxxxx(?) that is found at xxxxxxxxxx(?)
dear kisses for you and your dear wife kisses to your children
Your sister Stefa

Dearest brother and dearest sister in law , remember me after many years - this photo is me your sister Stefania and my son. I have three children, one [a girl] is married and lives in Mantova
dear kisses for you and your dear wife kisses to your children
Your sister Stefania ["nia" is written before the words "tua sorella"]

Dearest brother and dearest sister in law , remember me after many years - this photo is me your sister Stefania and my son. I have three children, one [a girl] is married and lives in Mantova
dear kisses for you and your dear wife kisses to your children
Your sister Stefania ["nia" is written before the words "tua sorella"]

Dearest brother and dearest sister in law , remember [of you] after many years - [I send you] this photo is me your sister Stefania and my son. I have three children one married that is found at Mantova dear kisses for you and your dear wife kisses to your children
Your sister Stefa

Thanks for translating the note on the back of that photo. I have posted several photos on my blog. You can get to the photos directly at Dragotto
The photos are old and in rather poor condition. I've done some touch up work in iPhoto until I get around to using a better photo editing program. I have doubts about some of the photos, particularly the one which my family tells me is one with my granfather and his parents. The photo is a copy of a copy of the original which my uncle has; he also has the original of the marriage photo of my grandmother and grandfather.
I haven't received any correspondence from Gaetano's descendants since out first or second contact so I am basing my belief that Gaetano is pictured in the photos of the young man in a military uniform --quite handsome and debonair with his cigarette, which I suppose was the thing to do at the time.
I am expecting to receive more photos to digitize; however, family dynamics being what they are, the time table is rather unpredictable. And, I have no idea how many will be photos taken in Sicily.

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